Society Girls: Neveah (19 page)

“He only kills bad guys, but yes, he enjoys
it,” Matt explains.

“Oh.”

“Yeah, ‘oh’. Can we get this show on the
road? Deep sea fishing and death await,” Aiden reminds us.

I open and close my mouth a few times, but
nothing comes out. I don’t even know what to say. I finally just
settle for nodding, and walk up the stairs in front of them. This
is going to be an interesting trip—and one I actually think I might
come back alive from.

* * *

Dylan

Once we’re all safely inside the Corrigan
& Co. apartments, I ask for what I’ve wanted since I knew we
were coming here. “Do you think I could go to Nev’s apartment and
see her?” I ask Reina.

“She’s not here, Dylan.”

“Oh. Is she still at work this late?”

“No. She actually came to your house with
me, but she disappeared. I was starting to really worry, but then
she texted me. She said she needs to get away for a little
while.”

“She was there?”

The unspoken question of why she didn’t make
herself known hangs in the air between us. Reina looks at me like
she’s trying to figure something out, and then she says the words
that give me hope. “She was actually already planning to go see you
before I got the call that your estate was under attack.”

“She was? Really? Do you know why?”

“Yes, yes, and it’s not my place to tell
you. Let her have her space right now. So much has happened in the
last couple of days. I don’t know that I could handle it all
myself. Matt’s gone fishing with his friends to try and sort his
head out, and I think she’s doing the same. Not fishing, but
clearing her head.”

“Is she safe?”

“She should be. Matt’s kept the family off
the radar, and once I learned about everything, I had Ainsley wipe
as much as she could without old classmates and friends getting
suspicious. I don’t doubt the men who ordered the attack will start
digging, but our people will hold them off for at least a few days.
Even then, they’ll have pictures, but they won’t know where she
went.”

“Do you know?”

“No. I’m trying to give her space as well.
We can find her if we need to, so don’t worry about that.”

“I trust you to keep us all safe,
Reina.”

“Thank you. I would also like to help you
with your PR problem.”

“Those pictures aren’t recent. They were
taken at a party my agent invited me to when I was a rookie. I know
I look pretty much the same in them as I do now, but what can I
say? I like my haircut, and I have pretty good genes so I haven’t
aged too much since then.”

I take a deep breath, and tell her the
rest.

“I knew Eric had them, which is why I didn’t
stand up to him about Nev that day. After talking to my parents, I
realized that the world wouldn’t end if they were released. Until
he had those women lie about the timing, and Nev thought I cheated
on her.”

“I believe you, Dylan, and even though I
said I wouldn’t tell you anything about Nev, I’m going to renege on
that. She doesn’t believe you cheated, either.”

“She doesn’t? You’re sure?”

“I’m sure. The problem right now is that the
public doesn’t believe you. They don’t know about Nev, but they
know you said your ‘player’ days were over. There’s a ton of
backlash all over social media. The key to all of this is the other
two women. The fact that they didn’t come forward tells me that
they either can’t be bought, or that Eric doesn’t have the kind of
money they demanded. I’m going to send Stella to see them, because
she can out-bombshell anyone, and they might feel comfortable
letting down their guard with her.”

“Once I’m safe again, I want to hold a press
conference. I won’t stand for racist things being said about my
friend, and I want the world to know it.”

“We can make that happen. Is there anything
else you need?”

“I want to put on a charity basketball game.
There are all those refugees being resettled around the world, and
I want to help them. I don’t know what they need, but I figure the
Foundation is helping them, so you’d know.”

Reina smiles at me.
“We
are
helping,
but there is always something more that can be done. A charity game
sounds awesome. If you can get the players, I can get a team
together to help you with everything else. Maybe the
recruits.”

“They might want to kill me right now.”

“Oh, I have no doubt about that, but they’ll
do what I ask of them. I’ll tell them you have to be kept unharmed
until you and Nev talk.”

“Thanks. For everything.”

“You’re welcome.”

She walks away, and I walk into the
apartment I’ve been assigned. It’s on the same floor as Sadiq and
the rest of his family, but away from the Society recruits, and the
couples. I’ve also been given full use of the gyms, game room, ice
skating rink, theater, swimming pools, and stables. I may be a
little lonely here, but I definitely won’t be bored.

Neveah

I have a good plan. I don’t know if it’s
great, but it’s good. I refused to tell Matt and the other guys all
of the details, but I did relent on where I hoped to end up. I may
need some help getting away, and they seem eager to join in on
whatever I have planned. Especially Aiden, who if I’m being honest
with myself, makes me happy that we’re on the same side.

I slip on the dress I brought for tonight.
It’s got sheer sleeves, and is sheer on the top and the bottom,
with just enough black lace and flesh covered fabric to cover me
from my breasts to the top of my thighs. A wrong move could expose
more than I’m comfortable with, but dressing like a nun won’t get
me in the front door of my enemy’s house.

I was able to find out about a party
tonight. One where everyone in the organization is meeting, and
girls are expected to entertain them all during dinner, before
being sent away so the men can discuss things alone. Apparently
this is a regular occurrence at this compound, because they feel
like they’re safe on this little island where they own the local
police force, and the people who live here are too scared to talk.
After tonight, they won’t have anyone to be scared of anymore.

Before leaving for the party, I step outside
of the casita I rented at the luxury hotel here, and kneel on the
ground in my private yard. What I’m about to do goes against my
religion, and many of the beliefs I’ve always held. I have no
second thoughts about going through with it, because it’s either
Dylan or these men—there’s no other option that will keep the man I
love safe.

It’s not just about him, or even my father
for that matter. These men will not stop hurting and killing people
who get in their way. I truly do understand what Gavin told me now.
There are times when people have to be stopped by one of us,
because they will never stop on their own. That doesn’t make this
easy, just necessary.

I pray for some forgiveness, but I can’t
call it an official Tawbah for a couple of reasons. One, I don’t
know what acts I’ll have to commit yet. And two, I can’t promise to
never do it again. All I can do is acknowledge that I’m going to
sin, and ask for mercy.

Once I’ve said all I can, I
stand back up, put on my shoes, and get in the cab I hired to take
me to the compound where the party is being held. I won’t have
trouble getting in since I was invited as I checked into the hotel.
The front desk clerk didn’t tell me what kind of party it was,
thinking I was a naïve tourist. I played that up, and made myself
seem eager for a good time. It worked, and now I don’t have to
crash the party, which was my original plan. They’d never expect
a
woman
to take
them down, but tonight, that’s just what I’m going to
do.

Despite their hubris, I’m scanned with a
wand before I can pass through the front door. My ears and feet
beep, but when they see the metal on both, I’m waved inside. Tsk,
tsk, silly boys. My earrings and shoes contain just the right
amount of explosives to blow this place up, and my purse contains a
surprise as well. I couldn’t bring my gun, but I feel confident in
what I have, and what I can do with it.

I smile and laugh my way through the next
couple of hours. I smile when I’m groped, even though I want to
break the men’s hands, and I laugh at their lame and sexist jokes,
despite wanting to punch them. I also manage to lose both of my
earrings, and all of the hardware from my shoes. I place them all
around the room, and luckily no one’s looking at anything other
than my breasts and my ass when I pretend that I’ve dropped
something, or that I’m checking out some decoration. I’m almost
caught in the meeting room, but a sloppy kiss does the trick with
the guard who found me. Gross, but a kiss is better than a bullet
in the head.

When it’s time for the women to be sent
home, I slip out the back door, and climb onto the roof of one of
the cabanas. Lying flat on my stomach, I transform my purse into
the parachute that it really is, and strap it on over my dress.
Once I’m sure the women are far enough away, and all of them men
are inside, I open the lipstick that was inside the “purse” and
take it apart. I tip the remote detonator into my hand, press the
button, and wait for the explosions to start.

As the explosives all detonate at once, I
stand up. Audrey talked to us about using the force from an
explosion to shoot yourself into the air, and with luck, my
calculations will be just right, and I won’t blow up along with
everyone else. Within seconds, I’m in the sky, shooting higher than
I’ve ever been without being in a plane. Just as I’m about to pull
the cord on my chute, I feel a pain in my arm.

I look down, and realize that one of the men
has gotten out and his gun is raised towards me, ready to shoot
again. I have no weapon, but it turns out I don’t need one. I don’t
hear the shot that kills him, but I see the hole the bullet leaves
in his head as he falls. I pull the cord, but I know I won’t be
able to control my landing with only one arm.

I try to make it towards the lights on the
boat—Matt’s rented yacht—but I fall short, and sink into the water.
I know I need to get myself out before the sharks come for me and
my blood, but I’ve lost so much already that I’m light-headed. I’m
about to give up, and just keep sinking, when strong arms band
around me and I’m being pulled up to the surface. I open my eyes
long enough to see that it’s Theo who dove into the ocean for me,
and then everything goes black.

* * *

Dylan

I’m shooting hoops in the gym when Sully
comes in. I’m not sure whether to brace for a punch, or toss him
the ball. He makes it easy on me when he holds his hands out.

“I’ve never played with an NBA player
before.”

“I’ve never played with the brother of a
woman I loved before.”

“Have you ever loved a woman?” he asks as he
takes his first shot. It bounces off the rim, but I knock it back
to him so he can try again.

“Besides my mom, my sister,
and
your
sister?
No. I mean, I loved my grams and aunts, too, but those three are
the ones I’d do anything for.”

“Nev doesn’t believe you cheated,” he tells
me as he makes his next shot.

I nod, before making my own basket. “Reina
told me.”

“Did you?” he asks before making another
basket.

I answer immediately, sinking another ball
as I do. “Nope. Never.”

“Nev said I can’t ask you for tickets to a
game.”

I laugh at how she’s always looking out for
me, even when I don’t deserve it. “I told her that people who
didn’t even like me as a kid ask me for tickets now. Lots of people
want to take advantage of me now that I have something they
want.”

“That must really suck.”

“It does.”

“My sister’s not like that. She doesn’t care
about money, or that you’re famous.”

“I know.”

“I’m not really like that, either, although
I love the car Matt bought me, and, I wouldn’t turn down
tickets.”

“I appreciate your honesty, man. I’ll get
you some tickets for next season.”

“Cool. Can we tell Nev that you needed the
seats filled?”

“That, I can’t do. I intend to tell her no
more lies. I’ll get you the tickets, but you’ll have to deal with
her on your own.”

“I guess that’s fair. I think I might like
you, Gallagher.”

“You’re not too bad yourself, Ayoub.”

“I also want to thank you for helping my
dad,” he says, holding onto the ball as he turns serious. “What he
wanted for Nev was messed up, and he’s owning that, but you’ve
always been there for him.”

“He was there for me when I needed him.”

“You probably think of him like a father,
huh?” he asks, and I know it hurts him to even ask. He has nothing
to worry about.

“I have an amazing father, so no, Sadiq was
never a father figure to me, and I was never like a son to him. I
think of him as a good friend, and I guess you could say maybe like
an uncle, but never a father.”

“Oh. Cool. I didn’t mean…I just…it’s
hard.”

“I get it. He missed you, Sully. I can
promise you that. He talked about all of you so much. Once we
figured out Ellie had a connection to you guys through Reina and
Matt, I tried to find out everything I could, and made sure I was
at any function you attended. It’s going to sound stalkerish, but I
took pics of you guys so he could see you. It didn’t make things
easier for him, but at the same time, it did. If that makes any
sense.”

“Wow. I just don’t even know what to say
since I already thanked you. And yeah, I understand what you’re
saying.”